The present invention relates to a connector device for use with a connector device of a telephone cord for connecting a telephone body and a handset, for example.
Except so-called cordless telephones, a telephone body and a handset are joined by a cord comprising a bundle of a plurality of conductors, and circuits within the telephone body and circuits within the handset are connected electrically.
Most of telephone cords are of curl cord type in which a cord is molded in a coil-like shape in advance so as to become expanded and contracted when a telephone is in use.
However, the above-mentioned curl cord is easily twisted. In particular, when the curl cord is twisted like a so-called double coil, it becomes cumbersome for a user to extend the twisted curl cord up to the full length that the curl cord can be extended. Further, when the joint portion of the telephone body and the curl cord is twisted, there is the risk that the curl cord will be broken.
In order to prevent a bad effect from being caused when the curl cord is twisted as described above, heretofore, there have been developed a variety of telephone connector devices which are referred to as a handset cord twist prevention device. This connector device is of the type fitted into the cord (curl cord) for joining the telephone body and the handset.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view illustrating an example of such a prior-art connector device.
As shown in FIG. 1, this connector device, generally depicted by reference numeral 100, comprises a connector case 101 having approximately a cylindrical shape, a connection member 110 which can be freely rotated around the axis of the case 101, a modular cord 102 comprising four conductors extendable from the rear end portion of the connection member 110 and a modular connector 103 joined to the rear end portion of this modular cord 102. In the following description, the side of the modular connector 103 of the connector device 100 will be referred to as the rear side, and the opposite side of the modular connector 103 will be referred to as the front side. In this case, an insertion aperture 101a having a predetermined inner diameter is defined in the inner peripheral surface of the rear end side of the connector case 101. The connection member 110 is located such that apart of a connection member rear portion 111 forming the rear half portion of the connection member 110 is projected from the insertion aperture 101a. The projected portion of the connection member 110 is a rear half portion 111a of the connection member rear portion 111. The transverse section of the rear half portion 111a has an outer form which is shaped as approximately an oval-shaped cylinder.
As shown in FIG. 2, the connector device 100 has a housing 130 secured to the inside of the connector case 101 to support the connection member 110 together with the connector case 101. The front half portion of the housing 130 is formed with a modular socket 131, and the modular socket 131 includes four modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135. Also, the housing 130 includes four terminal arrangement slots 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d in which the modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135 are located respectively. From the terminal arrangement slots 136a to 136d, there are projected the modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135 in substantially the rear direction to form inclined portions 132b, 133b, 134b, 135b of the same length.
The in construction of the connection member 110 and the housing 130 comprising the connector device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection member 110 is formed of three portions each molded by a synthetic resin and which are connected together coaxially. The connection member 110 comprises the connection member rear portion 111 including the rear half portion 111a, a cylindrical front half portion 111b and a disk-like flange 111c located at approximately an intermediate position of the outer peripheral surface of the front half portion 111b, a connection member front portion 112 including a disk portion 112a and a thin disk-like fitting protruded portion 112b formed at the rear surface of the disk portion 112a and a connection member intermediate portion 113 including a disk portion 113a whose size is the same as that of the disk portion 112a. 
Moreover, the connection member 110 includes disk-band-like terminal plates 114, 115, 116, 117 having outer diameters which are approximately the same as those of the disk portions 112a, 113a and the flange portion 111c at predetermined positions between the disk portion 112a, the disk portion 113a and the flange portion 111c. To terminal plates 114 to 117, there are respectively connected one ends of four conductors 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d of the modular cord 102 by soldering in the inside. The connection member 110 has respective support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 of approximately annular shapes seen in the front to rear direction outwardly fitted into the front portion of a connection member intermediate portion 113 and the front portion of the flange portion 111c. The respective support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 have lower half portions 118a, 118xe2x80x2a in which four engagement protrusions 119a, 119b, 119c, 119d are protruded at respective ends in the circumferential directions of the outer peripheral surfaces. In the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2, the upper half portion 118b, 118xe2x80x2b and the lower half portions 118a, 118xe2x80x2a have different predetermined thickness and predetermined radius at the outer peripheral surface.
In the housing 130, respective portions are integrally molded by synthetic resin. The front portion of the housing 130 is comprised of a modular socket 131 and other portions are comprised of a support portion 137 which support the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 and the connection member 110. The support portion 137 comprises an intermediate wall 138 and a connection member arrangement portion 139. The intermediate portion 138 comprises a circular support aperture 138a defined at approximately a central portion, a recess groove 138b extended in the upper and lower direction and whose lower end is extended to the support aperture 138a and whose upper end is extended to the upper end of the intermediate wall 138, two recess grooves 138c, 138d extended in the upper and lower direction and which are located at right and left positions of the recess 138b and an engagement pawl 138e. On an inner peripheral surface 139a of the connection member arrangement portion 139, there are formed two engagement grooves 140a, 140b spaced apart from each other in the front and rear direction and extended along the peripheral direction and which are engaged with outer peripheral portions of the lower half portions 118a, 118xe2x80x2a of the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2. Further, the connection member arrangement portion 139 has on its peripheral wall formed four engagement apertures 141a, 141b, 141c, 141d of approximately rectangular shapes which are engaged with the four engagement protrusions 119a, 119b, 119c, 119d, respectively.
The connection member arrangement portion 139 has at its predetermined positions formed four terminal insertion apertures 142, 143, 144, 145 (only the terminal insertion aperture 144 is shown in FIG. 3) corresponding to the four modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135. From these terminal insertion apertures 142, 143, 144, 145, there are projected erect portions 132c, 133c, 134c, 135c of approximately the same length which are upwardly extended from the rear ends of the respective modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135.
FIG. 4 shows a main portion of the internal arrangement of the connection member 110. As shown in FIG. 4, four relatively small spring arrangement holes 120a, 121a, 122a, 123a are bored on the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 at their surfaces opposite to each other along the axis direction of the bottom portions in such a manner that their transverse sections are circular and that they are extended in the direction parallel to the axis direction. The four spring arrangement holes 120a, 121a, 122a, 123a are used to locate four springs 120, 121, 122, 123 therein. These spring arrangement holes 120a, 121a, 122a, 123a are disposed by the pair on the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 at predetermined positions spaced apart from one another.
On the surfaces in which the spring arrangement holes 120a to 123a are defined, there are formed slits 120b, 121b, 122b, 123b which are extended in the upper and lower direction in correspondence with the spring arrangement holes 120a to 123a, respectively. The slits 120b, 121b, 122b, 123b are formed on the surface opposite to the surfaces in which the spring arrangement holes 120a to 123a are opened. The upper and lower ends of the slits 120b, 121b, 122b, 123b are extended up to the inner peripheral surfaces of the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the lower half portions 118a, 118xe2x80x2a, and the deep end portions thereof are positioned so as to cross the deep end portions of the spring arrangement holes 120a to 123a. A protruded portion 112c, which is cylindrical in the axis direction and which is protruded from the central portion of the front surface is formed on the connection member front portion 112 of the connection member 110.
The connection member 110 and the housing 130 are arranged as described above. The connection member 110 is supported to the housing 130 in such a manner that the protruded portion 112 protruded from the connection member front portion 112 is fitted into a support aperture 13a of the housing 130 so as to become freely rotatable, the outer peripheral portions of the lower half portions 118a, 118xe2x80x2a of the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2 are engaged with the engagement grooves 140a, 140b and the respective engagement protrusions 119a to 119d are respectively engaged with engagement apertures 141a to 141d defined on the peripheral all of the connection member arrangement portion 139. Then, the rear portion of the flange portion 111c of the connection member 110 is rotatably supported to the insertion aperture 101a of the connector case 101, whereby the connection member 110 is supported to the housing 130 and the connector case 101 so as to become freely rotatable around is the axis direction.
FIG. 5 shows the internal arrangement of the connector device 100. As shown in FIG. 5, with respect to the terminal plates 114 to 117 of the connection member 110, the terminal plate 114 is outwardly fitted into the engagement protruded portion 113b of the front side of the connection member intermediate portion 113; the terminal plate 115 is outwardly fitted into the engagement protruded portion 112b of the connection member front portion 112; the terminal plate 116 is outwardly fitted into the engagement protruded portion 113c of the rear side of the connection member intermediate portion 113; and the terminal plate 117 is outwardly fitted into the engagement protruded portion 111d of the connection member rear portion 111, respectively. Also, the terminal plates 114, 115, 116, 117 include connection tabs 114a, 115a, 116a, 117a which are extended from the inscribed circles of these terminal plates 114, 115, 116, 117 in the direction parallel to the axis direction. One ends of the four conductors 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d of the modular cord 102 are separately soldered to these connection tabs 114a, 115a, 116a, 117a. 
Four modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135 of the housing 130 comprise intermediate portions 132a, 133a, 134a, 135a of different lengths extended in the front and rear direction, inclined portions 132b, 133b, 134b, 135b of the same length extended from the front end to approximately the rear direction and erect portions 132c, 133c, 134c, 135c of approximately the same length extended from the rear ends of the intermediate portions 132a, 133a, 134a, 135a to the upper direction. The erect portions 132c, 133c, 134c, 135c are separately inserted into the slit 5120b, 121b, 122b, 123b formed on the support rings 118, 118xe2x80x2, and their portions near the upper ends are positioned at the deep end portions of the corresponding spring arrangement holes 120a, 121, 122a, 123a, respectively. Also, respective coil springs 120, 121, 122, 123 are placed such that they are contracted between the erect portions 132c, 133c, 134c, 135c positioned at the deep end faces of the spring arrangement holes 120a, 121a, 122a, 123a and the corresponding assemblies 132, 133, 134, 135.
Specifically, the respective erect portions 132c, 133c, 134c, 135c are respectively brought in contact with loops of one ends of the respective coil springs 120, 121, 122, 123, and are inserted into the slits 120b, 121b, 122b, 123b while slightly urging the other ends of the coil springs 120, 121, 122, 123 against the terminal plates 132, 133, 134, 135. Accordingly, the modular terminals 132, 133, 134, 135, disposed within the corresponding housings 130 and the respective conductors 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d of the modular cord 102 disposed in the connection member 110 are electrically connected together through the terminal plates 132, 133, 134,135 and the contracted coil springs 120, 121, 122, 123.
According to the above-mentioned arrangement, the modular cord 102 can be freely rotated in the axis rotating direction with respect to the connector case 101 and another modular cord coupled to the modular cord 102. When the modular cord 102 is rotated, the respective terminal plates 132, 133, 134, 135 and the respective coil springs 120, 121, 122, 123 are relatively slid so that they can be brought in constant contact with each other. Thus, when the modular cord 102 and another modular cord or one of them is applied with a twisting force, the modular cord 102 is integrally rotated with the connection member 101 and thereby prevented from being twisted.
However, since the above-mentioned connector device has a number of assemblies and a complicated structure, it is unavoidable that much labors and efforts are required when such connector device is manufactured. Furthermore, since the expensive materials such as the coil springs are indispensable to the above-mentioned connector device, the connector device becomes expensive and cannot be mass-produced accordingly.
In view of the aforesaid aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector device of a simple arrangement which can be made suitable for mass-production.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector device which is comprised of a case, first and second sockets housed within the case, each having on its front surface side a recess portion into which a modular connector is inserted and having a plurality of modular terminals disposed within the recess portion and a plurality of contacts connected to the plurality of modular terminals, and resiliently protruded to different positions of a rear surface side, the first socket being rotatable within said case, and a connection member whose one surface and the other surface are respectively opposed to the rear surface sides of the first and second sockets, the connection member being disposed within the case so as to become coaxial with the first and second sockets, the connection member having on the one surface a plurality of second terminals which continuously contact with the plurality of contacts of the first socket when the first socket is rotated and having on the other surface a plurality of third terminals which are respectively connected to the plurality of second terminals and which contact with the plurality of contacts of the second socket.
According to the present invention, a telephone cord can be prevented from being twisted by the simple arrangement having less assemblies.